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If you are a lemon lover like us, you MUST put this lemon pound cake with lemon glaze on your to-do list – like today!
We ALWAYS have lemons in the house. We add them to water, soda, and of course, make some great desserts with lemons as well.
If you’re a fan of fruity desserts, you’ll love this cake. It’s a flavorful spin on Cream Cheese Pound Cake, similar to our Lemon Bundt Cake. But, this recipe is a little lighter with a tasty lemon glaze!
We love Lemon Bars and Lemon Cupcakes, but this pound cake is also a favorite!
Why we think you’ll love it:
- Lemon glaze. While the naked cake would be good on its own, adding some lemon glaze really kicks it up a notch!
- Sweet and tart. It’s tender, moist, and has just the right amount of sweet lemony flavor!
- The prep is EASY! Just 10 minutes to mix the batter, then bake it! The glaze is also a breeze, making this a favorite easy dessert.
Lemon Pound Cake with Lemon Glaze Ingredients and Substitutions
Cake
- 1 cup butter, softened – see How to Soften Butter Quickly
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs – Room temperature eggs will incorporate better than cold eggs.
- 3 cups all-purpose flour – You can also use cake flour. Either way, be sure to measure the flour properly.
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup buttermilk – or learn How to Make Buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest, freshly grated – The peel of a medium lemon can produce 1 tablespoon of zest. See How to Zest a Lemon for tips.
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice – A medium-sized lemon can produce 2-3 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice, which is perfect for this recipe.
Glaze
- 1¼ cups powdered sugar – sifted
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice – freshly squeezed
- 1-2 tablespoons milk
How to Make Lemon Pound Cake with Lemon Glaze
- PREP. Heat oven to 325°F. Grease and flour a bundt pan; set aside.
- BATTER. In a large bowl, combine sugar and butter at medium speed, scraping the bowl often, until creamy. Continue beating, adding 1 egg at a time, until well mixed.
- In a medium bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- On low speed alternately add the flour mixture and the buttermilk and scrape the sides of the bowl often, until well mixed. Add lemon zest and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Beat until combined.
- BAKE. Spoon the cake batter into a prepared pan. Bake for 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Invert onto a serving plate; cool completely.
- GLAZE. Stir the powdered sugar, 2 teaspoons of lemon juice, and enough milk for desired glazing consistency in a small bowl.
- Drizzle over the cooled cake. Add as much or as little as you like.
Kristyn’s Recipe Tips
- To achieve the perfect pound cake use our top tips: make sure all of your ingredients are room temperature, don’t overmix, use real butter, and don’t rush the baking process!
- Instead of lemon glaze, pipe on thicker lemon frosting or add Whipped Cream with fresh berries to each slice.
- We love using a decorative bundt pan or a tube pan, which has smooth sides. Just be sure to properly grease and flour the pan to keep the cake from sticking.
- If you would rather make this pound cake in a loaf pan, you will need two standard 9×5-inch bread loaf pans and bake them at 325°F for about 55-65 minutes.
Lemon Pound Cake with Lemon Glaze
This bright, zesty lemon pound cake with lemon glaze has a tender crumb and a quick prep. It's the perfect sun-shiny treat!
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 eggs
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest, freshly grated
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Glaze
- 1¼ cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1-2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Heat oven to 325°F. Grease and flour a bundt pan; set aside
- In a large bowl, combine sugar and butter at medium speed, scraping the bowl often, until creamy. Continue beating, adding 1 egg at a time, until well mixed.
- In a medium bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- On low speed alternately add the flour mixture and the buttermilk and scrape the bowl often, until well mixed. Add lemon zest and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Continue beating until combined.
- Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake for 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Invert onto a serving plate; cool completely.
- For the glaze, stir powdered sugar, 2 teaspoons of lemon juice, and enough milk for desired glazing consistency in a small bowl. Drizzle over the cooled cake.
Video
Notes
Recipe Tips.
- To achieve the perfect pound cake make sure all of your ingredients are room temperature, don’t overmix, use real butter, and don’t rush the baking process!
- Instead of lemon glaze, pipe on thicker lemon frosting or add Whipped Cream with fresh berries to each slice.
- We love using a decorative bundt pan or a tube pan, which has smooth sides. Just be sure to properly grease and flour the pan to keep the cake from sticking.
- If you would rather make this pound cake in a loaf pan, you will need two standard 9×5-inch bread loaf pans and bake them at 325°F for about 55-65 minutes.
Nutrition
Calories: 458kcal, Carbohydrates: 70g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Cholesterol: 97mg, Sodium: 322mg, Potassium: 99mg, Sugar: 46g, Vitamin A: 575IU, Vitamin C: 1.5mg, Calcium: 45mg, Iron: 1.7mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
To remove the cake from the pan?
Let the cake cool, tap the pan firmly a few times, and shake it gently to help loosen the cake. Invert the pan onto a rack, lift the pan, and let the cake continue to cool on the rack before serving.
Make ahead of time?
Bake the lemon cake ahead of time and store it covered at room temperature for 1-2 days, or wrap it with plastic and again with foil and freeze for 3 months. Add lemon glaze before serving.
How to store?
Store leftovers covered or in an airtight container(s) at room temperature for 3-4 days, in the fridge for about 5 days, or in the freezer for 2-3 months.
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This recipe was originally published March 2016.
Hey! I just wanted to ask, what would happen if I used oranges instead of lemons?
I haven’t made this one as an orange pound cake, but I imagine it would be delicious!! Swap the lemon zest and juice for orange. You’ll have to let us know how it turns out of it you!
Also, would the cake taste different if instead of lemons I did limes?
Hey! It’s me again! I was just wondering if I didn’t put the zest in would it make the taste of the cake different?
Hey! I made this cake pretty recently and It was so good! Is there any way to make the cake more moist?
P.S My family loved it too!
this lemon pound cake is amazing and I cannot thank you enough for sharing this amazing recipe! I love how lemony this is!
Okay, first of all, pound cake is the BEST. Then add in the lemon flavor?? Absolute heaven.
This is one of those classic recipes that never goes out of style. Plus, it’s got the most wonderful lemon flavor. I savor every moist bit!
Hello, I’m currently making this cake and just wondering should I wait to make the glaze (cake literally just went in the oven) or does it not matter. My fear was it hardens while waiting for the cake to bake.
Thanks! Super excited to taste!!
Hi Terrell! I usually make the glaze after the cake has come out and cooled a bit. I hope the cake turned out well!
Hello! currently making this delicious cake now but I’m using the pound cake pans-how long and what is the temp? Is it the same time and temp?
Hi- currently making this delicious cake now but I’m using the pound cake pans-how long and what is the temp? Is it the same time and temp?
Yes – it’s the same time and temp. Bake 55-65 minutes at 325 degrees F or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes and then invert onto a serving plate. Hope this helps!
This cake turned out fantastic. Moist and perfect♥️ I will be making this again for certain! Thank You!!!
Yay! I’m so glad that you enjoyed the cake!!
I appreciate the recipe; however, it never says what you’re supposed to add the buttermilk to. The butter and sugar and egg mixture is in one bowl. The flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt: flour mixture is in another bowl. When does it say which mixture to add the buttermilk to? I had to guess that I was supposed to add the buttermilk to the flour mixture. Then it didn’t say blend the butter, sugar, egg mixture with the flour mixture (that I’m assuming I was supposed to add buttermilk to). I want to get the recipe correct and not knowing which mixture to add buttermilk to, threw me off. I still appreciate the recipe tho.
Sure! Good question. So the instructions say: “On low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and then the buttermilk and scraping bowl often, until well mixed.” So you have your bowl with sugar/butter eggs and then you’ll alternate adding a scoop of the flour mixture and then some of the buttermilk. Then scrape the sides. Continue alternating until all the flour mixture and buttermilk have been added. Then you’ll add the lemon zest and 1 tablespoon lemon juice and continue beating until well mixed. Hopefully that helps clear up any confusion! 🙂
Amazing amazing recipe. Easy and delicious.
Thank you for trying it! I’m so glad you loved it! I love easy too!
My family and I loved this cake!! My Grandmother said it reminded her of the one my great grandmother would make. This recipe is a keeper.
Happy to hear that!! Thank you so much for sharing that with me!
I just wanted to say that i tried your recipe and it turned out amazing. i added orange zest and juice and a little vanilla, though. perfection! thanks for the awesome recipe.
You are so welcome! I am so glad you tried it & thought it was amazing! Thank you!
Hi, loved it, a simple lemon cake with the glaze is really a good companion to tea / coffee time, and sometimes you just want to eat simple dessert to fulfill your crave for sweets. Thank for the recipe.
Farhat…https://www.bakingnfrosting.com/2020/06/rawa-cake-recipe.html?m=1
You are so welcome & I agree! Thank you for sharing that!
Wow! that’s amazing! I’ll do it tomorrow, it looks delicious!
Thank you! I hope you like it!
A lovely moist cake which is light and lemony. Had lots of compliments from my 3 adult children who are not usually very liberal with their praise of my cooking! I used a modification from another website – to make ‘cake flour’ by taking 2 tablespoons of flour out of each cup measured and adding in 2 tablespoons of cornstarch. This means taking out 6 tablespoons of flour and adding in 6 tablespoons of cornstarch. this made for a soft, fluffy cake. The link is here: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/cake-flour-substitute/
Thanks for sharing that! Great site 🙂 I am glad your family liked it!
Great recipe! This lemon pound cake turned out so delicious with a great texture! I made it without glaze but with more zest than called for (as much as my lemon would give!) and the lemon flavor seemed to develop even more after a day or two. Thank you!
You are so welcome!! I am so happy you liked it. Thank you for giving it a try!
Lemon cakes are one of my favorites! I especially like this recipe in the bundt pan. It makes it look so elegant and tasty.
Ive always enjoyed pound cake. This lemon cake does not disAppOint. Very refreshing!
this Lemon cake is Delicious! I surprised my hubby with it and he LOVED it!
The perfect dessert for all year round! has just the right flavor of lemon in it!
Can’t get enough lemon desserts in the summer!!
this pound cake is amazing! IT is perfect with a cup of coffee in the morning!
Hey, just a quick question if I don’t have buttermilk can I use regular milk or heavy cream? Can you post back ASAP b/c I’m abt to bake it…
To make buttermilk, combine 3/4th cup milk or heavy cream with 2 1/4 teaspoons lemon juice.
So sorry to have not responded sooner. I don’t usually work over the weekends. How did it turn out? What did you use? You can always a teaspoon or two to milk, in place of buttermilk.
Oh my, this looks amazing!! I would love a slice!!
Everyone at my house was impressed! A new favorite for my family!
This pound cake is so soft & has the right amount of lemon flavor. I could eat way more than my share!
mY MOM LOVES LEMON POUND CAKE! THIS IS GREAT!
This was delicIoUs! The glaze did come out a little thin though. OVeral it was great, and i made it in mini bunt pans!??
I am happy to hear that! Thank you for trying it. I am glad you liked it!
Oh my god, very good!
🙂 I will pass this along! Thanks for letting me know and trying this recipe!
In the instructions for the pound cake, it states to cream the butter and sugar, but the amount of sugar is not listed in the ingredients. Sounds good, tho.
Anne, it has been updated… thanks for catching that!